Every couple weeks I get an email from one of my vendors with a special on Barretts. Now, they aren’t the most accurate of the .50’s…. the long recoil operation doesn’t lend itself to precision, but then again the 82A1 is designed for busting up objects, not people. And it’s a lot easier to hit a parked helicopter at 1300 yards than it is to hit the pilot. The 82A1 is an an anti-things rifle.
But…the notion of ten rounds of .50 BMG on tap has a lot of gee-whiz appeal, and the damn thing just looks cool. So when this dropped in my mailbox…
It is tough to not order one up. I mean, I could sell the four bonus ARs for $500 each at a gun show and my cost on the Barrett then drops to $7000. But..gotta be practical. $9,000 would get me a superb .338 Lapua with an amazing scope and a high end rangefinder, ammo, accessories, dies, etc. And still leave me a couple grand left over.
It would also cover a not insignificant portion of my mortgage.
Being an adult sucks.
go to safety harbor and get one. I have a single shot that a guy built for me, it has a 36″ long x 2″ dia. barrel and about 48lbs. super out to about 1200 yards, but you need 2 men and a boy to pack it around. Then I have a Safety Harbor .50 cal. bolt with a 5 round side mag that is maybe half the poundage and just about as accurate. $2500 for the custom made one and just over $1200 for the Safety Harbor .50 cal. AR upper.
…or get an Armalite single shot for ~ $3k, I decided I didn’t need a semi-auto. Especially after reading Carlos Hathcock’s biography. In hot combat he was putting the same number of rounds on target with his Win. model 70 as his spotter was with an M14.
So, is that an endorsement for a scout rifle, or any bolt gun, with a box mag? Or maybe an SMLE? Especially if we’re playing the game where only hits count. 🙂
I bet if you wait a couple years you’ll find some guys who dumped ~$9,000 on their Barrett, now finding themselves in hard-times, willing to let theirs go (almost new) for ~$4,000.
I had one of the aforementioned Armalites for a few months, fun gun, but not real practical.
My primary issue was that all my “friends” wanted to shoot it, multiple times, but almost to a person, they got offended at any suggestion that they pony up to help defray the $5/rnd cost of ammo. It was astoundingly easy to burn up a $100 bill in short order. I wasn’t ever even offered beer and a burger after. I imagine a Barrett would magnify the problem.
Nah…I don’t have any friends!
Get the .50, you will.
+1.
I never knew how many friends I had till it got around I had a two post lift.
I know right!
Surely that’s not the dealer price? If so, check other suppliers and “Don’t call me Shirley”.
Thats dealer price. From that particular vendor, anyway.
When (I was going to put if, but who would I be kidding) you get this how many magazines would you feel comfortable with? After all unlike STANAG magazines (AR15/M16 for any new readers) they will become very hard to find in bad times. I’ve just looked up the cost of Magazines and now I know why it only comes with one.
$158.00 from Barrett (the once for the M107A1 cost more)
https://store.barrett.net/p-2682-magazine-for-model-82a1-50-bmg-10-round-black.aspx
$159.99 from Brownells
https://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazines/barrett-m82a1-10rd-magazine-50-bmg-prod54730.aspx
$186.15 from Cheaper Than Dirt
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/barrett-model-82a1-rifle-magazine-50-caliber-holds-10-rounds-black-816715010957.do
I’ve heard good things about the Serbu BFG-50. They can be had for about $2900 (36″ heavy barrel and bipod).
The Safety Harbor SHTF 50 is $1950 with a 29″ barrel; there’s a magazine-fed version for $2400.
There are also upper receiver assemblies to be mounted on an AR15 lower. Most of these are in the $1500-$2000 ballpark. Some seem adequately designed and manufactured, some have a less than sterling reputation.
Something to keep in mind when buying a .50 BMG for “breaking things” is that unless you’ve got deep enough pockets to drop $100 or so for each round of Mk211 “Raufoss” explosive ammunition, your best ammo choice is M8 API and you’ll want as long a barrel as possible to produce higher muzzle velocities. The barrel on the M2HB Browning machine gun is 45″ long, that of the Barrett M82 is 30″, and most of the other rifles and upper receiver assemblies are 29″ or less.
I had a few M82A1’s that I ordered up for customers.
One fellow let me play with his for a couple weeks. At that time I had a screaming deal on API-T ammo that was about $1.35 per round.
The API-T would shoot completely through sections of railroad track. Also through multiple 3 foot thick trees. And would penetrate about 4-6 inches of solid rock face.
Are you sure that wasn’t an 88 Magnum?
https://youtu.be/Hd-0F4v1C54
Rawles once [ https://survivalblog.com/economics-investing-preppers-47/ ] recommended https://www.smammo.com/ for exotic ammo. Looking today they do not have any .50 cal in stock at this time. They do have “Raufoss” in 9mm Para, .40S&W, .10 Auto, 5,56 NATO, 7.62 NATO, 30/06 and 12 Gauge.
I’m in the UK so have never had anything to do with this company.
I’ve been very seriously thinking about the 20 inch Barrett 107A1.
It’s probably going to happen.
Soon.
The Barrett single shot is $4k, which is the same rifle as the semi-auto without a $150 magazine. Given recovery time and all, outside of the coolness factor, the cost/benefit ratio of single shot to semi doesn’t seem to work out.
We need to have a test! Timed 600 yards, semi-auto vs. single shot, first one with 5 rounds in a 48″ bulls eye wins.
If you get one get in touch with the fifty cal. shooters assn. Will not regret it. Or better yet before you get one.